Expecting too much?

Gear aside, we also share the extras like lunch, coffee, water etc.

I dont get hung up on what gear people bring along...everyone's hunting budget is different. All I ask for someone to bring is their basic essentials...Gun, ammo, snacks/lunch. The rest is communal for all I care. Anyone is welcome to my knife, or TP, or anything really. I just like spending good time with good friends.
 
My waterfowl hunting buddies are the best. All retired accountants, everything is shared to the dime which is fine:D
My deer hunting crew are fine all except the wife's brother who even wears my spare hunting clothes, uses my spare rifle, shells you name it, my truck, my gas, my food.
Pays for absolutely nothing and if I say anything crys to mama ( and this dude is like 56) and I am the bad guy.
We just put in for a moose hunt draw and no I didnot put his name in. It caused that much crap at home I eventually called and did it. Would not care but he has money for golf and everything else just not hunting unless it is with someone else.
 
In our deer and moose camps all costs, except personal gear , from food to a new generator are equally divided between all the guys involved regardless if you are there for the whole week or only 3 or 4 days. This is based on the premise that you have the option of being there full time and it is your decision to only hunt partime and lessen everyone's chances of success. Never had a problem with this concept. Also it is an unwritten rule if you ride with a guy you buy half the gas.
 
Hunting partnerships are a little like marriages. There are times that you have to chose between being right, and being happy. I ain't been right in 22 years, happiest guy around. I think.
 
I hunt by myself or with the wife. If I was to hunt with someone else and I did not feel they were paying their way. I would tell them right off the bat and if they had a problem with it. I would drop them off at the nearest bus depot.
 
I have all my own gear for everything I hunt cept geese. Move around a lot and not to well off so geese deeks are expensive and big and bulky
I don't like to cheap out on hunting stuff. I'd go a day or 2 without eating to buy premium bullets. But a new buddy has taken me out goose hunting several times. He has all the gear except a truck so I drive. He can't hit $hit so I have given him all the geese I've shot over his spread. I feel fine with that and I've offered to set him up turkey hunting and rabbit hunting over my dogs will be offered once I know his abilities abit better. Seems to work for us. Ill take anyone out its nice if they pitch in but as long as they are genuinely thankful that's all I need. However when people ask me to bunny hunt I won't bring my hounds unless I know them well and how they are with dogs and guns. I have a good buddy who had a beagle shot and killed by a new hunter all that was said was sorry. I aint gunna risk that for noone. Ill hunt alone before I deal with that crap. So your not the only one who feels like their putting out all the expense just seems like you need new hunting partner
 
It's as difficult to find a good hunting partner as it is to find a wife/husband. You have to kiss a lot of frogs before one turns into a princess... After couple of dates you know whether it's going to work out, if not, test drive another partner. If someone doesn't have much money but is willing to work hard and do their part that goes a long way with me. If they are scared off by bad weather they are dq'ed right away.
 
Question to the OP do they at least help out with scouting and or asking permission , we are kinda lucky in our group two of the guys farm and have access to lots of land , and my self and my brother provide the decoys. We where kinda in the same boat as you but have come to realize friendship is more important than over priced pieces of plastic.
 
Brucecounty said:
Question to the OP do they at least help out with scouting and or asking permission , we are kinda lucky in our group two of the guys farm and have access to lots of land , and my self and my brother provide the decoys. We where kinda in the same boat as you but have come to realize friendship is more important than over priced pieces of plastic.
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The guys aren't bad guys and I am starting to think (as already mentioned here) that they are just not into it as I currently am. Work and wife permitting, I am out every chance I get. And, I check on a regular basis for the best deals on gear and deeks. That being said, I think that I was just a little pissed because it seemed to me that I was was the one doing the scouting, decoy buying, blind and spread work and they (for the most part) were just tagging along.

Reading the responses here, it looks like this has happened to a lot of you over the years.

Oh, and as far as this week of late season goose here in ontario, going on my own. Told the guys where I will be and what they'll need if they want to join me but, not holding my breath.

And on that note, on Saturday, out on this little river that wasn't frozen over, put out my floating geese and settled into the blind. It wasn't long before I had birds landing in the deeks... just not the kind I can hunt right now. Two small flocks of Mallards landed in the goose deeks and played for about 20 minutes each before taking off again. No geese day one but, being out and watching the ducks land in the deeks and play less than 15 feet away was worth the trip out.
 
I don't think you expect too much. I do think you are pretty silly to talk about it with total strangers on the net when you should be talking about it with your hunting partners.

The solution to your issues lie with them. Talk to them.
 
rral22 said:
I don't think you expect too much. I do think you are pretty silly to talk about it with total strangers on the net when you should be talking about it with your hunting partners.

The solution to your issues lie with them. Talk to them.
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lol, told them all to get bent... they can straighten out when they get some gear...:cool:
 
If your buddies are tagging along, shooting over your decoys and using your equipment, which is transported using your vehicle, boat/trailer, then I'd tell 'em up front that you guys are paying all other expenses, including gas, motel, and meals. Any complaints about paying anything above and beyond gas, say that they're also helping to cover the wear/tear & depreciation on your vehicle/boat/trailer.

If they are too cheap to cover those expenses, after you've invested thousands in boat/trailer & decoys, I'd find other 'friends' or tell them you expect them to kick in an equal share of what all the equipment cost you and you'd all split other expenses evenly. Their choice.

Nobody likes a freeloader. Had a guy like that tag along on a caribou/moose/black bear hunt one year. He wasn't my buddy, but rather a friend of my brother's and a last minute addition to our party of four.

The extra body forced us to take two vehicles, with myself and my old man paying for the shot, (effectively doubling our gas costs) which tallied up to about $450 gas each, plus two weeks provisions and related sundries. Aside from his own rifle, the guy had zero equipment and showed up with a 10lb bag of potatoes as his 'share' of the grub.

In the evenings around the campfire, we enjoyed a drink or a beer, once the day's hunt was over and the firearms were put away. We'd all provided our own liquor, except the freeloader. He ended up drinking on our dime as well, as my dad felt sorry for him.

If we hadn't been a couple hundred klicks in the back country, I would've booted the cheapskate in the arse and told him to find his own way home by the time the two week hunt was up. The guy was an arrogant asshat and totally unappreciative, despite the fact that we were paying for his entire hunt! Those of us with licenses shared our meat equally, except the free loader. He took an animal thanks only to our efforts. He didn't even offer us a single quarter as thanks after all we did for him. Needless to say, that was his last trip with us.

Having those types of guys along on a hunting trip can spoil the entire experience. I learned my lesson and there will be no repeats. Everyone pulls their weight or they don't come. Period. You'll feel a lot better if you institute the same policy.
 
Interesting read and it has sparked some interesting replies as well.....
I'm not poking or looking to upset anyone but I'm just curious if maybe something happened during your last hunt with the mentioned parties.
Hunter ethics are very important, I know, to many hunters and respect to the game and the land are of the utmost importance behind safety. Maybe someone did something that the rest of the gang did not think was very ethical and they are not too comfortable approaching this person about it and would rather just avoid him.
Maybe they contribute in other ways like the work involved in the hunt that you mentioned and maybe you failed to notice at the time.
You seem like you were the leader of this gang. Did you introduce them to the hunt and if so maybe it was not quite their thing?
How certain are you of the financial capabilities of the other hunters.
I know myself I live to hunt but if the queen at home is not happy then my hunting and fishing times are greatly decreased. Happy wife = happy life = more hunting and fishing.

Anyhow, the best advice I can offer would be to approach your buddies and voice your thoughts. Animosity in a gang is a killer.

Best of luck, keep safe
 
It all depends on the situation. Usually each guy brings what they have. If a buddy only duck hunts with me and I have decoys whats the point him buying decoys. I agree things should be split up as equally as they can. Most guys will chip in for gas and try to bring what they can to split up the load a bit.

I do see where you are coming from though. I had one buddy that was going to go fishing with me. I told him about a rod at Canadian Tire half price for $40. Told him he should pick it up for when we go fishing. He said "why would I buy one when i can just use yours". he meant tackle as well. Not to say i mind lending a rod or some tackle to a friend but that kinda pissed me off because I knew he was just being cheap.
 
I haven't read everything from the start to here, but...

I think everyone should contribute in a reasonable manner. Maybe you supply all the gear and they pay for all the gas, or something like that. Another fair way is you supply all the gear on this trip and next time, buddy takes you out fishing for a few days with all his gear, or something of that nature. If a fellow who is a friend just doesn't have the means to "buy in", but it's clear that you are inviting him instead of him inviting himself, that's not really a problem, but I a self-inviter who just shows up with his rifle isn't really likely to come along again with me, considering how much most trips can cost.
 
Kelly Timoffee said:
It is funny, the guys with the most money usually contribute the least.

Is it a wonder why these type have the most money?? :rolleyes:
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I've usually found the opposite, but there's exceptions. In the end, a person's nature will show through. You have your "above-and-beyond guys", your "meticulously fair to the penny guys", and the "It's all about me guys".

What's funny is that the first two groups take pride in their approach, while the last group always seems to think that nobody is onto them.:rolleyes:

Any of those groups are quite capable of haveing money.
 
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